Northampton Radio Club

Natter Night @ Grangewood Club/ Quick 30mins Discussion on POTA
2026-06-11 20:00 - 22:30 (Europe/London) | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

Informal Zoom: Members to be sent the link in advance
2026-06-18 20:00 - 23:00, 2026-11-19 20:00 - 22:00 | Zoom

BBQ/GB0WFX activation weekend Gary's Field
2026-06-20 - 2026-06-21
You are cordially invited to the Northampton Radio Club Weekend on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June from 11:30am onwards at Gary G6NYH’s Field.
Partners and family are welcome. Please note that toilet facilities are available but limited. If you have a tent or caravan you are welcome to stay over on Saturday night.
There is no need to let us know if you will be coming, do just turn up. The special callsign GB0WFX will be used on the club Special Event Station, we are hoping to establish an operating rota to keep the station on the air for as long as possible during the weekend, any offers to be included to the undersigned, please. CW ops especially welcomed, bring your own key if preferred. This is to recognise the callsign of one of the club’s founders and our first President, Frank Wright, who was issued the callsign ‘WFX’ in 1910.
On the Sunday there will be a BBQ. Please bring your own food and drink and a chair if you would like. Paper plates and cutlery will be available.
Plan:-
Friday 19th
Afternoon – assemble the club’s Cobweb antenna and take some items
Saturday 20th
10:00 to 13:00
Put up antennas, club’s Cobweb for 20m to 10m and a fan dipole for 80/40m on the Scam mast,
vertical for 2m/70cm.
Set up the generator and power distribution for lights.
Move the gas BBQ to the ‘new’ container, use this as a mess room for the weekend, most of the
chairs and tables donated to the club are already located there. We have tea, coffee and sugar at the
field which was bought by the club so hot drinks available all weekend, I can bring some milk and
my camping fridge to keep it in.
Set up the stations, club’s IC756 PRO II for HF and IC910 for 2m/70cm in the ‘old’ container so this
serves as a dedicated radio room for the weekend.
13:00 to 20:00
Operate the station on HF bands and 2m/70cm.
G4CZB will stay on site
Sunday 21st
10:00 to 12:00
Operate the station on HF bands and 2m/70cm.
12:00 to 14:00
Club BBQ
14:00 to 16:00
Operate the station on HF bands and 2m/70cm.
16:00 to 18:00
Dismantle station and antennas, tidy and clean site.
Monday 22nd
Return to site to pick up any items not removed on Sunday (G4CZB)

Digital Mode Focus Night - Tutorials on FT8, JS8Call, or DMR linking, plus on-air practice
2026-06-25 20:00 - 22:30, 2026-08-06 20:00 - 22:30, 2026-10-01 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

Natter night @ Grangewood Club
2026-07-02 20:00 - 22:30, 2026-07-09 20:00 - 22:30, 2026-07-30 20:00 - 22:30, 2026-08-13 21:00 - 22:30, 2026-10-22 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-10-29 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

VHF Field Day
2026-07-04 - 2026-07-05 | Field
Northampton Radio Club is planning a single station entry for the 50MHz section on Saturday 4th July. We meet at Gary’s field at 10.30 on Saturday morning to assemble the station ready for the start at 14.00 UTC. The 50MHz contest finishes at 22.00 UTC but we will need to pack up a little before then while there is still some daylight. This will still allow some good fun taking part with hopefully some good Sporadic E contacts into Europe and the opportunity to gain experience in contest operating.
We’ll use club equipment for this event so no need to bring anything apart from some lunch and/or snacks. Water and tea/coffee available through the day.

John G4CZB

POTA activation: Upton (Northants) Country Park: GB 1668 - Near Six Fields Northampton
2026-07-16 17:00 - 21:00 | Outside Event
Join us for a Club POTA Activation on Thursday 16th July 2026
Hi Everyone,
The club is heading into the great outdoors again on Thursday 16th July 2026 evening for a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation!
Whether you are a seasoned contester, a newly licensed ham looking to get on HF, or you just want to hang out in the park and see how a portable station is set up, we would love for you to join us. You do not need to be an experienced operator to attend!
Here are the joining instructions and details:
The Details

When: Thursday 16th July 2026
Time: We will begin setting up at 5pm and plan to operate until around 9:00pm
Where: Upton Country Park, Upton Way, Upton, Northampton NN5 4EQ
Car Park: Entrance: What3Words = drag.above.orchestra
Meeting Spot: Enter the park form the car park and look for us where the yellow marker is on the map below, look for the antennas!
Talk-In Frequency: NH Repeater Give a shout if you need help finding us!

Our Goal
To make this a successful, “official” club activation, we need to make a minimum of 10 contacts (QSOs). Once we hit that, we will keep the pileups going and try to get as many club members on the air as possible!
We’ll be using the club callsign G3GWB
How You Can Help
There are plenty of ways to participate, even if you don’t want to talk on the radio:

Operators: Take a shift at the microphone or key! We will be running SSB, FT8, CW on 40m & 20m on or around 7.160MHz & 14.260MHz for SSB
Loggers: This is arguably the most important job in POTA. Help the operator record callsigns and signal reports accurately.
The Setup Crew: Help us to set up antennas into route coax, set up radios and set up the battery power.
Observers & POTA-Curious: Just pull up a chair, grab a snack, and watch how it’s done. It’s a great way to learn about HF propagation and portable operations.

What to Bring

A comfortable camping chair.
Your own snacks and drinks (no alcohol, please, per park rules).
Weather-appropriate clothing (it might get chilly as the evening progresses).
Bug spray and sunscreen.
Your HT (Handheld Transceiver) to monitor the talk-in frequency.
(Optional) If you plan to make contacts and want individual POTA credit alongside the club, just make sure you know your personal callsign and POTA login details!

Note: The distance from the car park to the the Radio/antenna setup is minimal, only a few metres, and is on even ground making it readily accessible for people of all abilities.
Please download and use the What3Words App, it is extremely useful and accurate and will guide you to within 3 metres of the entrance.
There is a nearby local community centre which may be able to provide drinks if open. There are toilets in the facilities nearby at Sixfields.
As per previous committee instructions, please do not bring dogs or other pets to this event unless the dog is an assistance dog.
Please reply to Vic G4YIP – ulfikvic@gmail.com if you plan to come so we have a rough headcount.
Looking forward to a great evening of radio and camaraderie!
73,
Vic Ulfik G4YIP

Guest Speaker: Enigma Talk & Raffle Contesting Catch up
2026-07-23 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW)
2026-08-15 - 2026-08-16 | Radio

Club POTA activation
2026-08-20 20:00 - 22:30, 2026-09-17 20:30 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

Pizza Night
2026-08-27 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

Guest Speaker Terry G4UEM Clansman talk
2026-09-03 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

SSB Field Day
2026-09-05 - 2026-09-06 | Field
A good introduction to setting up an effective outdoor station from scratch. Also an enjoyable weekend outside at Gary’s Field if the weather is good!

Ask The Committee - Q&A Forum
2026-09-10 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

Presentation - Antenna Maintenance & Tune-Up
2026-09-24 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

Newark Radio Rally
2026-09-25 - 2026-09-26 | Outside Event

Railways on the Air (ROTA)
2026-09-27 | Radio

Bring & Buy @ Grangewood Club
2026-10-08 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

Informal Zoom: Members to be sent the link in advance
2026-10-15 20:00 - 22:00 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

Homebrew Night -Members showcase projects built/part built during the year — awards for innovation and creativity.
2026-11-05 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom

AGM
2026-11-12 20:00 - 22:30 | The Grangewood Club, 50 Barn Owl Close, Northampton, NN4 OUA, United Kingdom
